Approaching Storm Could Bring 2 Feet Of Snow To The Sierra

SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) – A storm coming to our area could dump up to two feet of snow in the Sierra, making travel through the mountains difficult.

A storm will bring rain tonight through Friday in the valley and up to about an inch of rain in the foothills, north of Interstate 80.

The storm will bring about a quarter of rain to Sacramento. San Joaquin Valley will see maybe about a tenth of an inch. The rain will turn to showers on Friday, with more wet weather coming on Sunday and into Monday.

The foothill snow level will drop between 3,000-4,000 feet by Friday morning, then we’ll get up to 20 inches of fresh snow over Sierra passes.

The National Weather Service issued a winter warning from Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon for the Lake Tahoe area stretching north of Reno to Susanville. The heaviest amount of snow will most likely fall between 6 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

The service warns the winds could create whiteout conditions, damage trees, trigger power outages and delay flights.

The leading edge of an air mass arriving mid-afternoon Thursday could bring us some much colder temperatures. Cold, unstable air may even trigger possible thundershowers tomorrow.